Population Demographics data for non US countries - Essay Example

? Population Demographics (Ominde and Ejiogu The population of South Africa 1965-2005 (Ominde and Ejiogu Key: x- Axis-the years Y- Axis- population in millions The status South Africa has an estimated population of fifty one million people going by the national census survey conducted in two thousand and eleven. This was the last time the survey too place. The country does not a clear police on when the official national counting of her population should be done. The next census will be conducted anywhere between two thousand and sixteen and two thousand and twenty one. Children below the age of fifteen represent an approximate twenty-one percentile of the population. People with the age of between fifteen and sixty-five account for the biggest share of the population carrying about sixty-six percentile with the remaining people with over the age of sixty five constituting about five percent of the total population. Analysis of the graph shows that South Africa does not have a steady increase in her population. During the millennium year, the country had a population of forty five million people that increased steadily to about forty nine million in two thousand and five (Ominde and Ejiogu 2012). This represents an increase in population of about four million. However, from two thousand and five to two thousand and ten, the population of South Africa increased to fifty one million people. This shows an additional two million people. In fact, the last census survey reveals a growth rate of negative zero point zero five. Over the same period of five years, the population growth was negative. This trend does not reflect what happens in other African countries bearing in mind that the country enjoys a stable economic, social, and political environment. The causes and Impact South Africa is a country on the list of the fastest growing economies. This enables to provide high quality services to the citizens. The country has improved her infrastructure increasing the rate of rural to urban migration. This affects the birth and death rates. The birth rate has increased following provision of the quality maternal healthcare, which reduces the death rate. The availability of family planning services counters this trend. Education also plays a major role in checking the population of South Africa. South Africans have adequate reproductive health information. They understand the right time to bear children and this reduces the fertility rate as most women spent time in school hence they bear children when after their teenage ages. This is not the case in other countries in Africa such as Kenya. Comparatively, there many women in Kenya who become mothers around the age of fifteen as they do not go to school and they still stick to traditions as opposed to South Africans. The low population growth rate makes South Africa capable of sustaining food demands of her people. Families also get involved in economically productive activities and this gives time to the government to invest in other non-food projects such as the development of IT. The population of South Africa is more educated when compared to other Africans countries as both the citizens and the government have adequate disposable income for enlightenment. Kenya Total population (x 1000) Population aged 0–14 (%) Population aged 15–64 (%) Population aged 65+ (%) 1965 9 505 48.4 48.0 3.6 1970 11 252 49.1 47.5 3.4 1975 13 486 49.6 47.1 3.3 1980 16 268 50.0 47.1 3.0 1985 19 655 50.0 47.2 2.8 1990 23 447 49.0 48.3 2.7 1995 27 426 46.5 50.8 2.7 2000 31 254 44.3 52.9 2.8 2005 35 615 42.7 54.5 2.8 2015 43 513 42.5 54.9 2.7 (Ominde 2012) Tracing the status Kenya is a country in found in East Africa in the southern Great Lakes region. The country is largely multi-ethnic. The country had a population of thirty-eight million people basing on the national population census conducted by the government in two thousand and nine. The country conducts a national census every ten years with the last one in two thousand and nine and the next population survey will take place in two thousand and nineteen. It is clear from the table above that the country is experiencing a rapid population growth from nine million people in nineteen sixty-five, two years after independence to a projected forty three million by two thousand and fifteen (Ominde 2012). In nineteen ninety the country had a population of twenty three million people. It should be noted that this followed the high population growth experienced in the country in the decade preceding that year. In nineteen eighty-eight Kenya had the highest population growth rate in the world. The rate averaged two point four percentile annually. The population of Kenya increases at an average of seven million people every ten years. In two thousand and ten, the country had an estimated thirty eight million people compared to thirty one million people at the turn of the century. This was an increase of about seven million people from nineteen ninety where Kenya had a population of twenty three million people. Analysis of the trend shows a patterned system where the population of the country increases by an average of seven million people after very decade. This is despite the fact that through these different decades, the country goes through different social, political, and economic times. The impact of population growth The first major effect of population growth in Kenya is on its scarce resources. Kenya is one of the countries on the list of the Least Developed Countries (LDC’s). The country’s backbone of its economy is agriculture yet it depends on rain-fed agriculture and only one third of its land is arable. The increased birth rates especially in the mid eighties affected the country’s potential to feed her population. For the first time in Kenya’s history, the country started borrowing food form the international bodies and stable economies. Provision of necessities became difficult in the country for instance the healthcare facilities were strained forcing the government to introduce cost sharing in the health sector in its structural adjustment program (SAP) (Ominde 2012). In this program, citizens were to start paying partially for healthcare services initially received freely from the government. The government took the duty of paying the medical practitioners as the citizens paid for medicine. The government also took over the issue of family planning seriously and started offering the services at a low cost in the government clinics. The citizens were also encouraged to diversify their farming activities to meet the increasing food demands. Since Kenya depends on rain-fed agriculture, this was the appropriate step to take. Farmers planted other crops that could use less water in addition to the cash crops that include maize, tea, coffee, pyrethrum, and cotton. References Ominde, H., & Ejiogu, N. (2012). Population growth and economic development in Africa. London: Heinemann. Ominde, H. (2012). Kenya's population growth and development to the year 2000. Nairobi: Heinemann Kenya. Read More